richardp said:but there are plenty of intellectuals who have,opposeing views and you would have to read all their interpretations as well
the website i have recommended is excellent because they have considered arguments for and against. infact they have allowed muslims to object to their points and have posted links to muslim sites. they then make further arguments against the rebuttals and so forth. this is why i state that although its a christian site, arguments have been made very logically and are valid in this context. please visit it when you have the time. also the koran itself does indeed state the phrases quoted, so its not a matter of interpretation, just what the koran says.
online koran - muslim run website. http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/
the website dicusses this too. the following is an extract:jtaunton said:Its all a matter of interpretation
Islam has never been able to decide whether it wants to live in peace with unbelievers, or to pile their severed, unbelieving heads into a giant pyramid. I’m sure many would disagree here, but they would be disagreeing with one of the most empirically verifiable facts in the universe. Think about it. One Muslim beheads an innocent woman to protest the war in Iraq, while another Muslim curses him for slaying the innocent. One group of Muslims flies an aircraft into a building, while another group condemns the attack. One Muslim detonates a bomb on a bus filled with passengers, while another Muslim says on the evening news, "Islam is a religion of peace." Each side quotes the Qur’an to support its actions. However, it may be even more important to note that each of them is following the example set by Muhammad.
jtaunton said:Without wishing to bring this back to Iraq again
i agree, iraq has made it more difficult to resolve these differences, and those responsible should be held accountable. but also remember that 9/11 was before iraq, and a lot of the tension between islamists and the western world has been ever since the existence of israel. (whom western countries helped create). the israel-palestine conflict must be resolved asap.[/quote]